You're Grounded, Steven
by Xcite
Summary: Connie decides to take Steven to her school for a day. Together, they embark on a new adventure, and of course, get in trouble. Updates every weekend. Slight Stevonnie.
1. Chapter 1

"If you're evil and you're on the rise,  
You can count on the four of us taking you down...  
Cause we're good and evil never beats us,  
We'll win the fight and go out for pizzas!

We..."

Steven sighed and put his ukulele away. He couldn't quite concentrate on finishing the song. Something was missing.  
Waves washed up onto the shore and wet his feet as he rested on the moist sand. The sea was so tranquil and beautiful. Steven liked the idea of visiting the seaside just by his house when he wasn't feeling too well.  
The salt water tickled his toes with another wave. Steven gazed at the horizon, thinking.

Now what was wrong? The Crystal Gems were banned from Beach City's pizzeria. Again! How hard would it be to NOT crash into the pizzeria's roof? That wasn't the worst part either. Amethyst, along Garnet, had too crashed down the ceiling, punching a big hole in there before running back to the beach. That was it; Steven now had exactly no chance of getting them unbanned this time, even though he used his healing powers to fix the roof.

Steven lay back on the soft sand under him, spreading his hands around. He breathed in the lovely, salty air to take his mind off the recent incident.

"I wonder what to do today." He didn't bother lowering his voice as no one was around to hear him think out loud. Pearl, Garnet and Amethyst were all in the Temple, minding their own Gem business as usual. Steven could drop off at Big Donut and visit Sadie, or maybe go to the Game Corner.

He was about to decide when something -better say someone- interrupted his thoughts.

"You can come to school with me!"

"Huh?" Steven shot up from his sand bed and turned back. "Connie!"

Yes, it was Connie who had decided to visit him.

"Hey Steven!" She greeted him and waddled to right where Steven was sitting. Connie sat on the sand, just next to him.

"Hi!" Steven chuckled again. "What was that about school you said?!" Excitement filled his voice. School! It was a brilliant idea, to finally see how an actual school worked. He could meet new friends, try out new things he never had and way more!

Connie leaned back on her hands and watched the evening sky. "Tomorrow is a bring-your-friend to school day. I knew you'd love to come with me."

Steven tilted his head a bit in confusion. "And what's that?"

"Oh? Ah! Yeah, you don't know." She paused for a moment and continued on with a smile, "Our teacher said we can bring a homeschooled friend to school for a day. That's when someone studies at home and doesn't attend school," She explained before Steven interrupted her with questions, "Would you wanna come? We can pretend you were homeschooled."

Steven looked at her with surprise. His eyes glittered like stars, "Would I!? I'd love to!" It was amazing, to put it short. It would be so fun! "Yes! I can't believe it! I always wanted to attend a real school!" The last time they tried, it didn't really go too well... To be exact, he ended up releasing a Gem from her prison.

Connie threw her head back and laughed. "Great!"

Steven stood up and picked his ukulele from the ground and started running in circles around Connie.

"But, hey, Steven!" Connie said, trying to get his attention, "Steven! You need a parent to fill out this form before you can really come." That stopped Steven from celebrating right away. Connie pulled out a single sheet of paper out of her bag and stretched her hand out. "Guardian's permission is needed. I had my mom and dad sign the form. If you have either Pearl, Garnet or Amethyst do it, you're fine."

Steven took the paper and gave it a quick look. It wasn't that hard, all he had to do was to get Pearl's permission. He smiled at Connie. "No problem!"

'This is amazing,' Steven mused. What could possibly go wrong? He could easily persuade Pearl. He was sure. Almost.

This was going to be the greatest day ever.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed the first chapter. See that review box below? I'd love to hear what you have to say. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

"No?!"

"Yes, no."

"Wait, what!?"

Great. Just great. That was what Steven exactly didn't need. "What do you mean, no?! Why can't I go?" Why didn't Pearl understand? Attending school was going to be amazing! It is supposed to be amazing, that's why school exists!  
Pearl stood in the house doorway, with arms crossed and ready to give Steven a big thumbs down. Being the caring mother figure she was for Rose Quartz's son, she wasn't going to let him spend time on unimportant things. "Because, school is designed for humans to fill their children's heads with useless information! Why would anyone want to know about things like-" She paused for a moment, trying to recall the name of what humans studied at the dreaded place, "Cal-keel- what was it, cal-keel-us?"

"Calculus!" Steven protested.

"Yes, that. Why would anyone want their child to learn puny things such as cal-keel-us when there's Gem History to learn about? Don't you want to know about the Homeworld, or Gem genealogy? What about fusions? You always showed interest in fusions! Don't you want to know more about us and yourself?"

"Of course I do!" Steven threw his fists in the air, "Of course I want to learn about all of these, but this is different!" Steven had all the time in the world to learn about Gems, but there was only this one time he could go to an actual school like every other kid his age. "Please Pearl, please let me go!"

Pearl sighed and shook her head, signaling Steven a no. "I'm sorry Steven, but I can't let others feed garbage to your brain. Save that energy for learning something better." She walked towards the temple's entrance and turned to Steven before leaving. "Now if you excuse me, I have things to attend to."

"But-" Before Steven could protest any more, Pearl activated the temple door and exited to her own room, leaving no time for him to argue. Steven huffed. This was not fair at all. How could going to school be harmful? If it was, why would so many parents let their sons and daughters go there? They would have all stayed home and watched that crying breakfast pals show on tv like Steven does every morning.  
 _Ah, I know!_ _I can just ask Garnet or Amethyst. They never say no_. Steven smiled at the brilliant thought. He found the greatest way to bypass Pearl not letting him go.

Steven ran to the doorway to find the duo. With the first step he took outside, the temple door reopened. Pearl's head stretched out from inside. "And don't even think about asking Garnet or Amethyst! I will infrom them. You have no permission to go!" With a bang, the door closed.

 _Shot down!_ How did Pearl find out what he was going to do? "Hrmmnng." Steven groaned and stamped towards the stairs leading to the beach.  
Of all these days he had one chance to go to school. And he wasn't permitted to go. Steven slumped against the stairs. He had to call Connie and tell her the bad news. He pulled his smartphone out of his pants' pocket and opened the dialing screen, but put it away within a second.  
He found the solution! The Crystal Gems were his guardians, technically, but he did still have someone to go...

"Dad! I should ask Dad!" Steven ran back inside, this time a with smile splattered all over his face. Being the human Dad was he sure could understand what Steven wanted. The permission paper lay on his untidy bed. Steven snatched it, along with his hamburger backpack and darted outside again. His cellphone rang while he was on the run to his father's hangout. Without a second's hesitation, he answered it.

"Hey Connie," Steven could barely contain his happiness, "Yes, I'm asking my dad, I'll meet you there!"

* * *

The permisson paper lay still in Steven's hands. At the bottom of the paper was his one way ticket to fun.  
Greg had signed it.

Steven looked up and at his father's smiling face, and jumped into a big hug. "Thanks Dad! You're the best!"

Greg chuckled, "Don't sweat it, Steven."

Eventually, Steven ran back to Connie who was waiting for him a few feet away. "I finally have it!" He waved the paper at her.  
Connie beamed, "Great! Don't forget to be at the Big Donut tomorrow morning at seven thirty. I can't afford to miss the bus. Plus, there are loads of things waiting for you at school, you don't want to miss them."

"No problemo!" Steven packed his hamburger bag and carefully put the paper inside, as if it was a precious gemstone. "I gotta go now. I'll see you tomorrow!"

Steven raced to the Beach House. Even though doing this would make him grounded, he knew it was worth it.


	3. Chapter 3

_Beep._

Steven awoke to the sound of the alarm clock. He groaned and tossed in his bed, burying his head deep in his bed sheets. What time was it anyway? Probably around nine AM, so he had a few more minutes to stay in bed and slack off…

 _Oh wait. Bed. Nine AM…  
_ Steven's eyes shot wide open.  
It was the day to go to school!

With a squeak Steven jumped out of bed. He slammed his fist on the still-beeping alarm clock and silenced it. He still felt sleepy, but the excitement couldn't let him rest any more. The time read five thirty in the morning.

"Yes, here I come!" It was going to be exciting! Steven wondered how many other kids his age were at this school Connie went to. Twenty? Maybe fifty? What if there were a hundred kids? Did they all fit in one classroom? What did it look like? Were the corridors filled with lockers head to toe? Did Connie have music class there? Steven had so many questions stirring in his head.

Steven rushed to the other side of his room. His hamburger backpack was ready and loaded, waiting to be picked up. He checked everything he had packed the night before, and double checked to be sure; snacks, a notebook, coloring pencils- wait, was he even supposed to take coloring pencils to school?- an action figure even though he wasn't sure he would need it or not, a box of tissues in case anything happened, a spare t-shirt, some money, a Familiar Unfamiliar book to kill time with, a camera, a handheld video player… His backpack was filled to the verge of blowing up. Steven couldn't tell if he needed all those, but he would rather be ready for every situation.

 _Nice and packed._ Steven rubbed his eyes to get the last bits of sleep away from them. The anxiousness from the previous night hadn't faded; he hadn't slept too well. It was well after two in the morning when he got some shut eye. After all, Steven slipped in bed early at night to make sure he wouldn't be tired the following day but his plans backfired.

Steven yawned and tiptoed to the stairs. He tried to be extra quite while going down, careful not to disturb any of the Gems.

It took him ten minutes to take a quick shower and jump out of the bathroom, and an additional ten minutes to eat breakfast. There was no time to waste! Steven sloppily snatched a carton of milk out of the fridge and prepared some cereal in a hurry, splashing milk around while hurrying.

It was almost six. What if he had overslept? What if the streets were full of traffic , or what if Lion wasn't around to take him to the donut shop? He couldn't take any risks; that was why he had jumped out of bed so early.

Eventually, he ran out with his bag slamming on his back with every step. In the dark early morning, he searched for his pink feline pet. Lion was resting near the shore. Steven hurried down the stairs and raced to the big cat.

"Wakey wakey, Lion!" Steven jumped on Lion's giant mane, but the cat didn't bother opening an eye. "Come on, I have to go now!" He softly pulled on the lion's mane. Finally, Lion lazily opened an eyelid and looked at the boy in front of him.  
"Lion! Good morning!" Steven buried his face in all the fluff, "Please take me to the donut shop!" Lion slowly got up.

"Hey Lion, you can come to school with me if you want!" Being the cheerful kid he was, Steven continued his rant about private school. "Uh, oh- are you listening?" Lion started walking away towards the water. "You're not listening. C'mon, I need to- Hey, get back here!"  
Apparently his pet had decided to go for a little trek in the seas. Instead of following what Steven kept ordering, he picked up a steady pace and ran to the water.

"Hey!" Steven stopped chasing after him. It was no use. "Ugh, I should take that lion to a cat trainer to housebreak him."

"It's just you and me, feet." Back to the old fashioned way of walking what seemed like miles to the donut shop. Steven darted out of the beach.

He had a big day ahead.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey here's chapter four! They finally go to school!**

 **Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

A ray of light appeared in distance. With it came noise, the really annoying ones that make you crawl out of bed in the mornings. Steven tried to ignore it, closing his eyes tight.  
The noise grew louder. It almost sounded like a voice. "Ste...ke...up!"

"Hmphhh..." Steven tossed in his bed. Or at least he tried to, as there was no actual bed to sleep in. He fell to the ground, wherever he was, and woke up.  
Steven opened his eyes. Right above him Sadie was staring at him, with a mix of confusion. She chuckled. "What are you doing here?!"  
Steven looked around. He had fallen asleep behind the tables in front of Big Donut and was now resting on the pavement. "Oh, Sadie!" Steven got up, "You're here early!"

Sadie walked to the front door and opened the shop for business. "Not really, but you are."  
"Uh, what time is it?! Did I miss the bus!?"

Sadie waved her hand to dismiss his stress. "Oh calm down, Steven. The bus will be here in thirty minutes." So that meant it was seven in the morning. He still had time! All that waking up so early wasn't bad after all.

"Phew!" Steven wiped his forehead.

Sadie trekked to the storage room to pull out the new batch of donuts for morning sale. Steven followed her, as he had a lot of time on his hands. He threw his backpack to a corner and marched to where Sadie was.

They talked, with Steven telling her his plans and being the most enthusiastic one about school. Sadie made him a cup of coffee and wished him luck on his first day. The minutes passed as the duo conversed, enjoying a cup of hot beverage together.  
Eventually Steven heard the front door as he downed on his coffee. He ran to the counter, almost tripping in the process.

"Steven, take care of my customers, I'll be there in a sec!" Sadie bellowed from the storage unit. But it wasn't a passerby ready to get themselves coffee or a donut, it wasn't Lars who had decided to come to work late either.

"Connie!" Steven threw his hands in the air and sprinted to his friend.

Connie giggled. "Good morning! Ready for your big day?"

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be!" Steven continued after a pause, "Whatever that means! But that doesn't matter, I'm going to school!"

Connie laughed again. She pulled Steven's hand. "Come on, my dad's waiting outside. Mom insisted taking the bus would take too long and we might be late for class."

Steven nodded, and picked his bag up. "Sadie, I gotta go now! I'll see you around!" He took a step outside, and held the door open for Connie to pass through. But she didn't; she was just standing inside the store. "C'mon, we don't wanna be late!"

Connie scratched her head. "Steven, where's your ukulele?"

"Was I... supposed to bring it?" Steven smiled awkwardly.

Connie face palmed. "Did you ever read the permission paper?!"

Should he have read it?! It only served the porpuse of being signed, didn't it? "Uh... if I say no, is it a bad thing?"

"Ugh, Steven!" Connie raised her voice a little, "You were supposed to bring a musical instrument with you! There's a jam at school!" Connie sighed. "We don't have time for this. I'll think of something later. Let's go!"

Steven, feeling a bit ashamed of what he had missed, followed Connie out the store. Mr Maheshwaren was in his car, waiting to pick the kids up. "Hey, at least I'm going with you."

Connie laughed at Steven's response. Together, they got inside and waited as the car slowly drove out of the parking lot.

* * *

Connie's hands kept Steven from seeing. He fidgeted under her grip, waiting impatiently for her to let him see. Connie kept covering Steven's sight as they reached the school's front door; she wanted to surprise him.

"Here we are!" Connie finally removed her hands.

Steven let out the biggest gasp ever.  
The school was enormous. They were standing in the huge school yard which stretched from one side of the school to the other. A four story building was on the other side of the yard, with several steps leading to its entrance. On the far left was the cafeteria, filled with students. Everyone was in a hurry to reach their classes. There were too many of them to count!

Connie beamed at Steven's most surprised expression. She giggled, "Well?"

"It's _amazing_!" Steven blurted. Words weren't enough to express how he felt. This was even better than anything he had attended, even better than Beachapalooza. "Hey, show me everywhere and everyone! I wanna visit the library, the classes, the halls- everywhere!" He could barely contain his happiness.

"Okay, but listen up," Connie replied, "first we have science class, then there's biology. Third we will have music and dance classes!"

"But I thought you didn't dance in front of others!" Steven questioned.

"No, not really. But ever since you- I uh, I mean we fused, I figured taking dance classes wouldn't hurt."

"Well that's great!" Steven threw his hands up.

"But, hey, before we go, there's something I need to tell you." Steven listened closely. Connie continued, "Don't use your powers wherever you are. I don't want people freaking out in private school."

Steven nodded. He understood what she meant. It wouldn't be the first time people freaked out and they definitely didn't want to attract any attention.

Steven laughed. "Now come on, we don't want to be late!" He pulled Connie's arm. Connie chuckled and accompanied him to the entrance.

"You're going to love science class. You already know so much on the subject we're studying today."

"Aaand that would be...?"

"Gems!" Connie smirked, "We're studying gems! The Earth kind of course."

They both climbed the stairs. Steven shot a look at his friend, waiting for approval to enter.

"Let's do this, I hope you enjoy your first day." Together, holding hands, they walked inside to embark on a new adventure.

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 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. I'd be happy to hear what you have to say!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello everyone! I'm back with another chapter. Thanks for your follows, favorites and reviews :)**

 **About the little incident in the review section I should say my laptop was logged in and a family member decided to read and review my fic. Therefore the review was posted by my screen name. Hope you don't mind :P**

 **Anyway, enjoy.**

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Nothing got out of Steven's sight. He couldn't let anything slip away from his careful watch as he walked along Connie through the massive corridors.  
There were lockers upon lockers in the halls, stretching from one side of the corridor to the other. The school walls were postered with infographics, pictures, announcements and updates about everything! Students stood here and there, some chatting and talking with one another while others rushed to the classes with stacks of books in their hands.

Connie pulled Steven's hand as she paced faster. Steven followed mindlessly, still taking everything in and as much as he could. Eventually, she skidded to a stop, and Steven bumped into her.

"Sorry- sorry!"

Connie laughed. "You seem to be enjoying your time!" She eyed him, waiting for a response. He instead kept looking around with aw, too distracted with his surroundings to answer. Connie giggled and opened her locker.  
Steven finally turned to his friend, with his mouth agape. "This is where you study?! It's so huge!" He cupped his cheeks, "Do you get lost in here?"

"The first day of school I did." Connie said as she took a few books out of her locker. "I couldn't get to class on time. The teacher was really nice to me when I got there, but... "She paused for a moment, "I hate it when people stare at me." Connie shook her head and stuck it inside her locker to get more things out.

Steven took a quick glance inside. There weren't many pictures or notes plastered onto the bookcase, but it was Connie's style; school notes and science facts were scribbled on tiny post-it notes that lay scattered around.

"I have everything I need!" Connie picked her bag off the floor and hurried to the corridor exit. They went round and round in the halls, turning to left and right as they went on. "How do you..?" Steven asked.

"Find my way? Eh. You'll get used to it after a month."

Connie and Steven finally arrived at their destination. "After you-eth, my dearest sword fighter, eth!" Steven stretched a hand out to the classroom and bowed.  
"Thank you, Sir Knight!" The two walked inside as they let laughter take over.

Inside was the same as the corridors, just smaller. Single desks were put in rows, most filled with students who were taking their books out of their bags and getting ready. Connie threw her bag to a desk in the second row as the first row was already full. Steven took a seat on Connie's left.

The classroom wasn't as full as Steven thought; they were merely thirty or so of his peers there. Ten of them were homeschooled kids who had attended Bring Your Friend to School Day beside Steven. _Must be the wonders of private school._

"Ahem," Steven let out a fake cough after a minute if silence, " _Ahem_!"

"Hm?"

"You didn't introduce me to anyone!"

A light blush appeared on Connie's cheeks. She mumbled something under her breath.

"What was that? I didn't hear you!"

Connie cleared her throat, "I will, _after_ the class."

Steven shrugged it off. If Connie said she would, then he didn't have to worry.  
The school bell then went off, and immediately after the science class started.

* * *

"A test?! A surprise test?!" Connie was freaking out. Right after the teacher had entered the class and welcomed everyone to Bring Your Friend to School day, she had announced a surprise test. "I didn't study anything last night!" Connie pulled her hair and yelped. Steven on the other hand stood calm. "Mom will ground me! I'll get an F!"

"Whoa, calm down! You'll do fine, Connie! You're smart!" Steven said.

A blush appeared on Connie's cheeks again, "Th-thanks!" She stuttered. Before she could stress more, the teacher slipped the test paper in her hands. Connie took a deep breath in and bent down on the paper.

Miss Malkin, the science teacher of the school also handed Steven a paper. "But I don't know anything!" He looked up at her.

"It's okay, just take a quick look at it. Remember, the point is to learn how school is!" She turned her attention to the class after answering him. "The questions have been randomly chosen from three different subjects! You have ten minutes! Results will be handed to you by the end of the class!"

Everyone had already started scribbling madly on their papers, except for the homeschooled students who stared blankly at their papers.

Steven glanced at the test. It only had four questions on it.

 _Question one: When was Napoleon Bonaparte buried?_

"Who's Napoleon?" Steven mumbled under his breath. Must be someone important enough to be in school textbooks. He curled his lips, trying to think of something to right down. Steven smiled; he knew the correct answer to that.

He pulled out a pen out of his hamburger bag and started writing.

 _When he died._

Steven suppressed a giggle as he answered. He moved to the next question.

 _Question two: Solve for X._

Beneath the text a right triangle was drawn. Right above the triangle's hypotenuse a big _X_ was pasted. Steven circled it and wrote a big 'found it!' next to it.

"Hehe, this isn't hard at all!"

 _Question three: Where was the Declaration of Independence signed?_

Steven scribbled, _at the bottom of the paper._

 _Question four (bonus): What is your favorite hue?_

Steven tried to suppress another laugh. _Jackman._

Right after he wrote the answer, the time was up. Papers were all handed in. Connie had the most distressed expression, but Steven was sure she would do okay on the test.

Afterwards, the class started. He and Connie shared a textbook, so did all the other homeschooled students. They discussed gems, as Connie had earlier told him. Miss Malkin taught them how gems are formed in Earth's mantle and brought to the surface by natural causes. She handed them charts containing a huge variety of gemstones too.  
Steven named all the gems he knew, Amethyst, Garnet, Malachite, Jasper, everyone. Miss Malkin corrected him when he named Pearl as a gem, saying pearls come from clams in seas, not from the earth.

The class went on. Who knew it would be so fun to learn things during a class? Steven was having such a blast that he missed track of time.

The bell finally went off, and everyone was handed their test papers by the end of the class. Connie had scored nine from ten, while Steven received a full mark for his remarkable answers.

"Steven, you're better than me in this, and you've never even read the textbooks!" Connie cheered after she read his answers.

They exited the classroom together.

"Biology class is up next!" Connie pulled Steven's hand to the laboratories. "You'll love this one too!"

Whatever it was, Steven didn't care. He was already having a blast spending the day with his best friend.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: It's not even the weekend and I'm giving you an update! Yay** ~ **(yes you'll get chapter on Thursday/Friday.)**  
 **Well I called in sick for school today and had enough time to write a short chapter. I threw in a little Stevonnie. Because yes, I ship them.  
** **Thanks for your reviews and follows as always! They encourage me to keep writing.  
** **Enjoy.**

* * *

"Are you okay?"  
Steven looked at Connie with concern. Ever since they rushed out of the science class to be on time for biology, she was acting a tad… odd.

"Y-yeah, why do you ask?" She stuttered and squirmed under her backpack. "I don't want to be late for biology. I can't stop and chat." Steven tilted his head and studied her for a bit before deciding to speak up; she had the same light blush on her face from science class.

"Connie," Steven stopped in his place. He grabbed Connie's arm and halted her before she could go further. "Tell me what's wrong."  
Connie was taken aback, as if she hadn't expected Steven to notice. She took a deep breath and mumbled something.

"Talk louder. You know I can't hear you."

"Ugh," Connie sighed and covered her face. "I'msorrystevenIcantintroduceyoutopeople-"

"Whoa, Connie!" Steven dropped his hamburger bag on the floor and opened it, rummaging it for something. After a minute, he pulled out a fresh bottle of water and handed it to Connie. She broke the seal open and drank, letting out a slight 'ah' after taking a sip.

"Thanks." She said after a moment of silence.  
"Do you want to sit down? If that makes you feel more comfortable." Steven wanted to make sure she was in better condition before she decided to tell him what was bugging her.  
"Yeah." Connie rushed to an empty classroom by their left. She threw her bag to a corner and sat quietly behind a desk. Steven seated himself next to her. He gave her a minute and waited for her to crack open.  
Connie covered her face with both palms. Minutes flew by.

"Steven, I can't introduce you to anyone here." She finally admitted. She was now blushing a bright red. She curled her lips and started playing with her shirt.

"What!? Why- what do you mean?!"

Connie wrapped her hands around her legs and rested her head on them. "Because-"  
"Because no one likes me here."

"Uh… did I mishear you or something?"

"No, Steven!" Connie brought her head back up and pulled on her black locks. "No, you didn't! No one likes me here! I don't hang out with anyone in school!" Her blush was now gone, but instead her whole face was red.  
Steven squirmed in his place. " Hey, how can they not?!" Why wouldn't they like her? She was intelligent and caring and-

"Why wouldn't they like you? You're smart, you're friendly, you're never rude and you're honest!" Steven hadn't realized he was now standing. His body slightly trembled.

Connie looked at him with the most dumbfounded look. A shy smile appeared on her face. Soon after, it faded away. Connie rubbed her eyes. "I…" She paused. "I…I don't know."

Now this was dumb. Steven couldn't think of one darn reason to dislike her.  
His gaze was on Connie. She rubbed her eyes again. As if…  
"Hey!" Steven blurted. He looked at her again, and brought an unsure hand up. A second later, he stopped hesitating and pulled Connie in a hug.

"Well, I think you're pretty great."

Connie hugged him back, more tightly.  
"I don't understand why they don't like me." Connie wiped her eyes. "I try to offer people everything I have. And they kinda turn me away. That's why I'm not friends with anyone."

Steven's eyes widened. "You do everything alone here?"  
She brought her head up, but didn't let go of him. "Well, yeah I do. I never even bring lunch to school because I hate eating alone. It makes me feel dumb."

Connie continued, "I hear students talking behind my back every now and then. I act like I never hear them, but I know- I know they don't want me around. And I don't know why."

"Look, I don't care what others think." He broke away from the long hug. "You're great and I just hope you realize that. I don't understand why students would want to avoid you, but," Steven gulped, "you're with me today. And I'm making sure nothing messes your day up, because as much as a big day it is for me, it is for you too, right?"

Connie let out a shy smile. "Yeah."

Steven laughed. "Now come on, before-" His words were hushed as Connie leaned forward. He gave her a confused look.

"You're the best, Steven." Connie whispered, and pecked him on the cheek.

The school bell then went off.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hello lovely readers! Hope you're enjoying your Saturday so far. I'm back with another chapter.  
Before we start I should respond to two reviews.**

 **If Steven could heal a gemstone (Lapis) and was expected to heal the Geode, I'm pretty sure he can heal a roof. Whatever it's made of.  
Secondly, I've attended private school all my life and I must say, I've never faced a bully. Any type of abuse by students will end them up in the principal's office, so you won't be seeing Steven confronting Connie's bullies. Though, I do have something in mind as a replacement.**

 **Anyway, enjoy.**

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Footsteps echoed through the empty hall. Connie and Steven hurriedly ran to reach their class, which had already started five minutes ago. Steven's bag was starting to irritate his shoulders as it was too heavy to be pulled around. He was making twice the effort he normally would to keep up with Connie.

"Can...we...hah, slow... down?!" Steven gasped for breath between each word.

"No! I shouldn't have waited so long in the classroom! We won't make it!" Connie kept a tight grip on her books as she ran. The school was empty of students as the bell had went off, adding to Connie's anxiety with each passing second. She rubbed her eyes, sweeping her last tears away.

Steven stretched out an arm. He got a grip on Connie, causing her to stumble to a stop. "What are you doing?! We can't stop!" She yelped.  
Steven gave her a determined look. "No. We have to." He didn't waste time for explaining his sudden pause. Instead, he dragged her to a corner and stopped in front of the lady's washroom. Connie tilted her head. Steven pointed at the room.

Connie shook her head. "Why did we stop?"

"Go ahead. Wash your face and refresh yourself. I don't want you to feel so bummed." Connie nodded. Steven stopped her again before she went in. "Hey," Steven smiled at her, "cheer up!" He pulled her into a hug. Connie responded with a toothy grin and left afterwards. Minutes later she showed up, and the duo continued their search for biology class. It was well after twenty minutes through the class when they finally reached the laboratories.

Connie held her head in distress as the two stood in front of the door. "What if we're not let in!?"

Steven shrugged. "We won't know unless we try." Connie brought a fist up. She knocked heavily on the door. Soon after, it swung open on its hinges. A tall bearded man was standing in the doorway.

"H-hello Mr Jefferson..." Connie stuttered. She was struggling to come up with an excuse. "May we come in?"

"Where have you been, Miss Maheshwaran?" He leaned forward and crossed his arms. Apparently, he took notice of Steven standing next to Connie quietly. "I'm going to assume this is your homeschooled friend. Welcome." He smiled at Steven. "But Miss Maheshwaran, explain to me why you're so late. I'm afraid I can't let you in unless you have a proper explanation."

 _Man, he's strict._ Steven stared at Connie.

"I-I uh..."

Steven interfered. "Hello Mr Jefferson." He stepped forward and took the situation in his hands, seeing Connie too distressed at the moment. "I'm Steven Universe. Nice to meet you sir." He shook hands with the man. "I'm sorry we're late. Connie wasn't feeling alright so we had to visit the school nurse." Steven hoped there _was_ a school nurse. It wouldn't be pretty if he was caught in a lie on his first school day.

The man adjusted his glasses. He stood up straight, making himself a bit intimidating. "I see. It's nice of you taking her to the hospital wing." Steven exhaled sharply. That was really a close one; he bought his lie. So... that meant he could go in class, right?

"But I'm afraid I can't let you in. I am eager to sticking with my class rules. Miss Maheshwaran, report to the office. Try to be more punctual next time."

"What?!" Connie and Steven yelled at the same moment. Each of them started pleading to be let in.

"Mr Jefferson, please, it's only this one time-"

"Sir, be easy on my first school day!"

"I'll get in trouble!"

"Hey, I'll get in trouble too you know-"

The biology teacher interfered the two's garbled argument, putting an end to their conversation. "Maheshwaran, must I remind you of my first class rule?"

Connie blushed a bright red. She mumbled, "More than five minutes of delay results in..."

Mr Jefferson continued her talk himself. "...In not being let in. Good to see you recall the principles. Mind you, I have to attend my class." He went back inside and almost closed the door. He stuck his head out the last second, demanding a report. "Office. NOW."

 _Bang._

Steven stood in his place staring blankly at the classroom. "What the hey!?" He couldn't throw them out just like that, could he?! "This isn't fair!"

Connie furrowed. "Come on Steven." She stomped off in the opposite direction where they came from. Steven followed her silently. He was too mad to say anything. Great, he missed a class and wasn't let in. _Bet Connie's in more trouble than I am._ What would her parents do when they found out? Ground her?

"Ugh!" Connie exhaled sharply and marched in an empty room. Steven looked around; it wasn't clearly an office as far as he could tell. Instead, musical instruments lay scattered around. Musical note charts were plastered all over the walls. On the lone desk in the middle of the room lay stacks of books. "The music class, huh?"

Connie threw her bag on a chair and sat on the floor. Steven sat next to her. "We're... not in the office."

"Forget it. I'm not going there. What's the worst that can happen? We won't get detention just for not reporting our delay." This was so unlike herself. Connie was so obedient, never breaking rules. _Unusual._

Steven gazed at Connie. She must be feeling so bummed after all; she was upset about her schoolmates and now was denied entry to class. What could he do to cheer her up?

Steven looked around a bit. He got up and walked to the stringed instruments section. He picked up a guitar from between the chairs across the room.

Trying to lift Connie's spirits, he tried changing the subject for good.

"Hey, Connie?"

"Hm?"

Steven played a note on the guitar and tuned it. "You said there was... a jam at school?"

Connie wrapped her arms around her legs like before. "Yeah. It's at one PM. I'm part of the group playing on the stage." She stood silent for a minute, then went on. Her tone changed to something more cheerful. "Think something up for the show! There was a list in the classroom for local talent. I wrote your name in , so you're performing today. You would have known if you had read the permission paper."

Steven chuckled, blushing a bit. "Okay, how about..." He played another note on the guitar and cleared his throat. "How about this?"

" _Is it my fault, is it my fault?_

 _Didn't want you to feel this way,_

 _Never thought we'd come across this day-"_

"Nah, give me something more chipper! Like this!" It made Steven happy to see Connie relaxed after the stress. She took her cell phone out of her bag and played a song. It was catchy, making Steven want to dance to it.

"Nice!" Steven snapped his fingers to the beat. "Woah!" He let out a short yelp; Connie ran to him and dragged him to the middle of the room.

"Dance with me!" The two laughed. They tapped their feet to the song and held hands, circling around each other. Their movements were swift and in sync; Connie had definitely become better at dancing after taking classes. They were sure enjoying their time.  
A light shade of pink lit the room, and soon everything was dipped in a beautiful bright white. The duo laughed and danced.

The next thing they knew was that they became one.

They were _together_.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hello!**

 **Before we start I shall say I refer to Stevonnie as a female, with female pronouns. Steven and Connie sure do look like a teenage girl when they fuse.**

 **Enjoy! And don't forget to tell me what you think.**

* * *

"This is bad. This is _really_ bad!"

Stevonnie sat in the office. Beads of sweat trickled down her forehead and dripped onto her shirt, which was a mix of Steven's casual clothing and Connie's school uniform. Stevonnie gripped her hair and pulled it, a distress signal inherited from Connie. "What are we going to do?!"

They had fused. For them, fusing was so easy; the only thing they needed was a way to express their feelings and they would be one. Earlier that day the duo stomped into the classroom and they walked out as Stevonnie. Deciding no one would notice them, they went a little _rampage._ And now they both were in terrible trouble.

Stevonnie wiped her forehead. Feeling too stressed to think straight, she held her head in both palms and went through what had happened, hoping to find a solution.

* * *

"Steven!" The Connie side of the fused being yelled.

"Woah." Stevonnie stood up. She swept the dust off her clothes and took a minute to take a look at herself. "Don't freak out."  
"Don't freak out!?" Connie's side yelped once more. "We're fused! We shouldn't be fused at school!"  
Steven's side huffed and crossed Stevonnie's arms. "Yes, I know… but Connie, don't you understand? No one will recognize us!"  
"So?"  
"So we can do whatever we want!"

Stevonnie stood silent for a minute. Connie's stress settled slowly. "I guess…"

"If I were you- which I am, mind you-" Steven laughed and didn't continue his speech. The two finally calmed down.

Stevonnie scratched her head. She- they- were really unrecognizable. They could do loads of things together and just bail out when they were caught. She laughed. With a plan to play out, Stevonnie trotted out of the music classroom with Steven's backpack in one hand.

Minutes later, the fusion arrived at the school's office. Being half Connie, she knew the directions leading her where she wanted. Stevonnie peeked around from behind lockers. Seeing no one around, she calmly walked to the office. What was the worst that could happen? If anyone was inside, they could just play pretend and get out.

Stevonnie slowly opened the door and slid inside. No one was there other than the fusion herself. Without wasting a second, she rushed to the intercom and turned the device on. Connie had seen how the intercom system worked before, so this wouldn't be much of a problem for them to get it working again.  
She slid a hand inside Steven's bag and pulled out a compact disk which Steven had borrowed from his dad. She slid it inside the intercom's disk reader and switched the device on.

Chaos ensued.  
Metal music boomed throughout the school halls and corridors. That would be enough to interrupt the classes! She turned the volume up and left the system to play the songs.  
Laughing, she picked Steven's bag up and ran to the door. The rush from rule breaking was filling the duo with excitement; it was a new rebellious experience none of them ever had.  
They liked it.

Stevonnie opened the door and ran out. It wouldn't be long enough before students and teachers would come pouring out of the classrooms with metal music screeching in the intercom.

* * *

And now they were stuck in the same office where they had started all of this.

They were caught. As simple as that. Just as the duo walked out of the room they were caught by one of the school staff. And now they were awaiting the unknown. A stranger had apparently broken into private school and had started wrecking havoc. Dear god, they going to be on newspaper headlines.

"What if we get arrested!?"  
"I'll get suspended!"  
"I don't want to go to jail!"  
"Me neither!"

They were freaking out.  
A bright flash of light engulfed the room. The duo let out a slight shriek and separated, falling to the ground with a loud thump. Steven shot up immediately and helped his friend up.

"This is the worst idea I've ever had in my life!" Steven yelped. Not only he had gotten in trouble, he had encouraged Connie to join his misadventures. If Connie's parents found out, there was no way he could ever see her again.

Connie ran to the door. She shook the doorknob violently. It was locked.  
"Let us out of here!"

A rattle was heard on the other side. It finally swung open, with the school's head of security standing in the doorway.  
"What in the world…"

"Mr Madsen!" Connie shrieked. "Let us out of here, we didn't do anything!"

Well, the last part was a lie, but it wasn't like they would find out the two kids magically fused together and decided to be troublemakers.

* * *

Two stressful hours later, they were holding hands sitting in the hospital wing, wrapped in blankets. They missed their music class, but that wasn't anything at the price of their freedom. They were handed hot cocoa to drink and leave when they felt ready, as they had apparently nothing to do with the 'stranger who had broken into the school'.

"I don't think I want to go dance class after this." Steven said shyly. He felt super guilty for what he had gotten them into. "Connie…"  
Connie gazed at him.  
"I'm sorry." Steven whispered. "I really didn't want this to happen."  
"Are you kidding me?!" Connie laughed, startling Steven a little. She leaned back against the wall and drank some of the hot cocoa."That was _fun_!"  
"R-Really?"  
Connie smiled at him. "Yeah."

The duo stood silent as they downed on their cups, with awkward smiled on both their faces.

That was enough adventuring for one day.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hello and welcome to another chapter.**

 **Sorry about this chap being a little short~ But I hope you enjoy as always. Thank you for your great support so far.**

* * *

Steven looked at his _lunch_ with a grim expression. It barely looked tasty enough to eat. He picked his fork up and started playing with the food in the lunch tray. He wasn't feeling hungry at all.  
He sat alone by the table in the cafeteria, waiting for Connie to arrive and eat together. Man, if _this_ was what students had every day, he wasn't surprised if he knew anyone other than Connie wouldn't munch on meals here.

"Oh." Steven said softly as Connie popped herself on a seat next to her. She didn't have any lunch tray with her.  
"Aren't you hungry?"  
Connie stuck her tongue out and curled her nose. "Bleh. It's too greasy to eat." Steven looked down at his lunch. If he had a little tiny bit of appetite left for it, it was gone now.  
"Noticed." He pushed his tray away and huffed. "I know!" The cheeseburger backpack lay just by their seat. Steven snatched it and started rummaging his bag. He pulled out two 'Steve-wiches' he had prepped that morning. He handed one to Connie, and unwrapped the paper around his special Steven edition sandwich.

"When did you learn to plan ahead? Thanks by the way." Connie took a bite of her food.

"It's not bad to be prepared." He hadn't filled his backpack with stuff for nothing.

They sat together through the lunch break. The only things they decided to take from the cafeteria were two water bottles. Eventually, when the duo finished their food, they headed out of the place to get in time for their class this time. They had already missed two classes.

The two marched through the corridors. Steven was thankful no one stared at them for being 'involved' in the trouble caused at school just an hour ago. Apparently, the school officials had decided to call it a _slight inconvenience_ caused by the staff. Why did they hide the truth that a rebellious teen had stirred up trouble? Maybe they wanted to keep their good reputation as a private school; Steven didn't care anyway. He was surprised he was even let go of so easily.

He let out a fake cough. Connie didn't seem to notice. He tried to get her attention again.  
"Hey," He stopped in his place, "I still owe you a proper apology about-"  
"Steven!" Connie laughed, startling him a bit, "I already told you, it doesn't matter!"  
"No, it does! You almost- _we_ almost got caught-"  
Connie lied against the wall and smiled confidently. "It's… I can't believe I'm saying this." She took a deep breath and went on. "It's not bad to be a bit… disobedient at times."

Steven shook his head. What did he just hear?! This was _Connie_ they were talking about. Not some rule breaking brat. _Connie._

"This isn't like you." Honestly, he was getting a bit… nervous.

"No no no no no!" Connie spat out words repeatedly. "I didn't mean to worry you, I'm sorry!" She rushed to him and held his hand. "I'm just saying… when we got in trouble… I was freaking out at first. I can't deny that. But the rush…the anxiety was something _new._ I've never even said 'no' to my mother. It was different than anything else I've done!"  
She smiled warmly at Steven.

"So… it was a good type of new?"

Connie chuckled. "It was worth it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not planning on getting in trouble again any time soon. So, shall we continue?"  
Steven nodded. He hadn't felt so relieved since biology class.

A couple minutes later, they arrived at the gym. They took their shoes off before entering the dance class.

"You go ahead." Steven said to Connie right before her dance tutor started their session.  
"But-"  
"Look," Steven crossed his arms, "I don't know if two people can stop fusing if they put their minds to it and just dance normally, but I'm not gonna experiment this at school. Not again. I'll ask Garnet later, but I don't want more trouble."  
Connie, being the understanding friend she was, nodded and went to the changing room to get ready for class. Steven settled in a nice cozy chair just by the practice area.

Their class began. Connie danced well with her tutor. The good thing about their class was that it was private, with no one than Steven watching them. Connie was in sync with her tutor, raising her feet, circling and twirling around just in time and in the right moment. She was well taught, actually.  
Well after an hour, their session ended. Connie headed to the showers and Steven waited for her patiently. He dozed off in his seat for some minutes before Connie woke him up, ready to head out.

"That's it for today." Wow, time flew by. Was it really over already? Was he heading home in an hour or two?  
"Jam session!" Steven blurted out. Yes, they were supposed to have a jam session…  
"Haven't forgotten about it." Connie threw her gym bag on her shoulders and walked to the exit. "Come on if you want to be on the show. It'll take an hour before we get ready to perform."  
Steven threw his shoulders up. "I haven't practiced anything."  
"You'll think of something. You always do."

Both feeling light hearted, they cheerfully walked out of the gym.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hello!**

 **I apologize for the lack of an update last week. I was too busy with school and I had more important things to attend.** **I hope you understand.**

 **Heads up, this story is coming to an end in a chapter or two. Thank you so so much for sticking with me all this time.**

 **By the way, remember Connie's bullies?  
** **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Here we are!" Connie exclaimed. She beamed happily at her friend.  
"Can I play the guitar?"  
"Steven, you can't play the guitar with a tuba."  
"Wait, what?! I thought I was playing with you!"  
Connie let out a laugh. "I'm messing with you, Steven. You're playing with me. And yes, you can play the guitar."

Connie and Steven's conversation went on. They were at the school theater's entrance, playfully arguing. The two were fully packed and ready to leave for home after the play.  
"Maheshwaran! Get in the backstage!" An instructor bellowed from distance. As he was going through the list in his hands, he called Connie's name to prepare for the show.

"Whoops, time to go." Connie paced to the exit which led to the backstage, but stopped in her place. "Aren't you coming?"  
Steven shifted in his place. "You go ahead. I gotta… tie my shoelace." He bent down quickly and started tugging on his shoe. Connie didn't seem too satisfied with Steven's answer.  
"Okay, but don't make me wait too long." She said, and trekked outside.

Steven stopped playing with his shoelace and tiptoed to the exit as Connie left his side. He swore he heard _something_ from a group of passing students just when Connie was distracted by the instructor. He had to make sure what he heard was true, and if it was, he had to do something about it.  
Steven stopped right at the door and peeked outside. There were people coming and going; adults and kids who were all getting ready for the show. Students carried their musical instruments around, teachers guided others to their places… it was too hard to spot what Steven was looking for.

"Huh!" Steven gasped as he spotted the people he was after. They were walking away, talking to each other and laughing. He darted out and ran towards them before he could lose them once more.

"Hey!" He yelled. The group all stopped in their places.  
"Hey," Steven repeated and crossed his arms, "it's not nice to talk behind people's backs!"  
Steven was _mad_.

"What are you talking about?" A girl from the group of five kids stepped forward.  
"You know well what I'm talking about." He leaned forward, "No one should ever talk smack about Connie!"

Yes, that was what he had heard. They were gossiping about her. He overheard their conversation.

A boy answered back to him this time. "So?"  
"What do you mean, 'so'? Why are you being so mean to her?"  
Some of the kids started giggling. "Didn't know the nerd had an admirer!"

Steven huffed. Maybe he wasn't doing this the right way. "Look, I don't want to fight. I'm sorry I yelled. I'm Steven. Steven Universe." He stretched his hand out and shook hands with the boy.  
"Nice to meet'cha. I'm Joss." He introduced the other kids as well; Teresa, Dylan, Warren and Maxine.

"I heard you were talking about Connie. You called her mean names."  
Joss furrowed. "Where are you going with this? She's a weird nerd."  
"No she's NOT!" Steven yelled the last word, stepping forward. Joss backed out in response. If they didn't want to play nice, Steven wasn't going to play nice with them either. "Stop calling her that! You guys should stop being such _jerks_ to her!"

Jerk? That was new.

"Connie's the greatest friend someone can have. Have you even tried to talk to her once?"

"Er… well, no-"

"Then maybe you should stop judging her! It's because of people like you that she doesn't have friends. I'm not judgmental like you! Maybe you should give her a chance!" Steven's body shivered. He has never been so mad at someone.  
He wasn't going to stick around to hear what they had to say. Slowly, he walked back, but not without glaring at them. He didn't give Joss a chance to explain himself; whatever he had to say, it wouldn't be acceptable for Steven.

* * *

"Ready?"

"Ready."

Steven clutched his guitar. He was wearing a neat suit, well dressed for the play. He was lucky the school kept spare clothing ready for emergencies. Connie stood beside him. They were both ready to perform. Just half an hour before the show began, he came up with something proper to play thanks to his musical talents.

They walked on stage together and commenced. Connie's parents were in the audience, watching the two and applauding them happily. When their parts were over, Connie and Steven walked off the stage hand in hand, earning a disapproving look from Mr. and Mrs. Maheshwaran.

"That was a blast." Connie exclaimed. They sure enjoyed themselves during the play.  
"Glad to know you handle stage fright well!"  
Connie giggled.

They waited in the backstage for the show to end, which took them at least an hour.  
Afterwards, it was time to get dressed again and leave.

"Already?" Steven said as the audience applauded the students one last time. "It's like I didn't get to do anything today, and I already did a lot of things!"

"That's what it's like. Now, come on and please help me pack my bag."

"Hey, Connie?"

"Hm?"

"Thanks for taking me to school today. I had loads of fun."  
Steven was surprised when Connie leapt into a hug. He hugged her back warmly.

With heavy bags on their backs once more, Steven held Connie's hand as the two walked towards the school yard. It was the best day Steven had had so far.  
He couldn't wait to tell the Gems what a day he had.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Here we are! The last chapter. I just wanted to thank you all for sticking with me this whole time.  
I honestly didn't think this fic would get so much support. Your reviews and follows fueled me to continue. I wouldn't give this story weekly updates if it weren't for you.  
**

 **Please tell me someone got all those Life is Strange references when Connie and Steven where in school. Please.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

* * *

It was over.  
Steven's special day had come to an end. And there he was standing, in front of his house, ready to head inside and tell everybody what an amazing experience he had had. Oh wait, that wouldn't be a good idea. Pearl didn't allow him to go. He wasn't going to tell anyone.

Steven took a deep breath, his body shaking slightly by remembering and going through all the things he had done that day. School was amazing. But on the other hand, he liked being a Crystal Gem more than being a student. It was a very special experience, though, he didn't prefer it over being a Gem warrior.

Steven peaked inside from the window. Pearl and Garnet were sitting on the couch. Garnet seemed busy with reading the newspaper, while Pearl was idling as if she was waiting for someone. Amethyst was chilling on Steven's bed and watching TV.  
Steven gulped; he had hoped the Gems would be on a mission being busy so they wouldn't catch him sneaking inside. Since that had already backfired, he had to come up with a plan. He had to _play it cool._

"Hi!" He said just as he walked inside. He was going to brush it off, acting like he didn't do anything too special that day. He waved at the Gems, and to his relief, the three smiled back at him and greeted him.  
So… that meant they didn't know anything about him going to school… did they?

Steven nervously walked upstairs and dropped his bag right beside his bed. It landed with a loud thump. Still anxious, he changed his clothes and walked downstairs to sit with Garnet and Pearl. They were awfully quiet.

"So… uhm…" Steven stuttered, trying to come up with something to say. Thankfully Garnet was there to interrupt.  
"How was your day?"  
Steven clutched the cushions next to him. "Pretty fine…"  
Garnet adjusted her shades. She beamed. "You could have at least left a note saying you were going to school."

 _They knew.  
_ Steven shot up from his place. His heart started pounding with such excitement. "How did you know!? I'm sorry, I should have told you, but Pearl said she wouldn't let me go, and I really wanted to! And it was just this one time, okay? I didn't want to miss the chance! But it was amazing, and I don't know why Pearl-"

Garnet brought a hand up and silenced him. "Steven," She chuckled, "calm down. It's okay."  
"It- It is?!" He leapt on Garnet's lap as she invited him to sit down with her hand.  
"Greg called us yesterday and informed us. Next time, you can ask me for permission. We shouldn't stop you from having fun." Pearl fidgeted in her place. Her fingers bore deep into the couch.  
"You're the best." Steven pulled Garnet into a hug with a big smile. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you anything. I just didn't want to miss going to school. And with Connie!" Garnet pat his head.

"Pearl, I'm… I'm sorry." He could tell Pearl was quite disappointed.  
Pearl let out a small smirk. "Don't apologize, Steven. I shouldn't have stopped you. Even if they still teach children garbage in that place…"

"Pearl!" Garnet growled.  
"Oh- my bad."

Amethyst interrupted the little chat they were having. She jumped down and sat on the floor. "Yo Ste-man, tell us what you did today. "  
The next hour was spent with Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl all cuddled around Steven, listening to what he had to say. Steven went on and on about what he had done in school, from his A-plus on the test and the science class to not being allowed into biology class, and confronting Connie's bullies, and finally his recital with her (though he skipped the part where he fused with his best friend. He could never tell them that happened).

The four finally split up. Pearl headed to her room for her daily practices and Amethyst headed to her own place as usual. Garnet walked out to get the evening newspaper as the mailman (mailwoman actually) delivered it. Steven, feeling tired from all the activity, headed to the bathroom to brush his teeth and get ready for bed.

After he slid between his bed sheets and got comfortable, he remembered to ask something. "Hey, Garnet?"  
"Hm?" Garnet answered. She was again sitting on the couch. Steven heard her open the newspaper.  
"Can I maybe…go to school again with Connie one day?"  
"When the time comes."  
"Thanks. You're the best. Good ni-"

"STEVEN!" Garnet's voice went from calm to super mad in on second. Steven yelped and fell out of bed, and ran downstairs in a rush. "Wh-wh-what?!"

"Steven, explain yourself NOW!" Garnet held the newspaper in front of him. Steven steadily read the headline.

 _Unidentified Teenager Breaks into Local School for Vandalism,_ read the headline, followed by a picture of Stevonnie taken by security cameras trying to sneak out of the school office.

 _Crud._

"YOU'RE GROUNDED, STEVEN!"

Steven's last words echoed in his mind. _"Can I maybe…go to school again with Connie one day?"_

Man, that was never going to happen again. Ever.


End file.
